- After being publicly called out by competitors, Streamlabs offered an apology, which was not received well
- The source of the problem is the apparent plagiarism Streamlabs committed, regarding the design and features of their new product Streamlabs Studio
- The Internet, from streamers to software rivals, had their part to say regarding the matter
Streamlabs OBS received massive criticism from multiple sources, including popular streamers and competitors like OBS, Lightstream, and Elgato, the reason being apparently “copy/pasting” features and designs, and a controversial name change.
The Backstory of the Software Drama
On November 16, Streamlabs received criticism that it had copied its website descriptions and design from a competitor streaming program called Lightstream. The latter called out Streamlabs in a tweet, to which the former responded, saying “We made a mistake. Text on the landing page was placeholder text that went into production by error. This is our fault.”
This criticism was because of Streamlab’s newly released software Streamlabs Studio, which allows players to broadcast live gameplay without a capture card, PC, or third-party software. It also allows streamers to customize the look of their stream using their phones. The problem is Lightstream offers the exact same features.
The next day, on November 17 Streamlabs tweeted that they will take immediate action, taking full responsibility and dropping the “OBS” from their name. This decision came after a public tweet from the original creators of the open-source software OBS, who argued that Streamlabs was not playing fair by having the brand's name incorporated in their own.
According to OBS, Streamlabs reached out to them to ask about including “OBS” in its program. The former declined the proposition, but Streamlabs still included the code into their software without permission.
The Internet Blasts Streamlabs for Their Apology
It didn’t take long for the most prominent users of the software – big streamers – to start criticizing Streamlabs for its apology. According to Kotaku, many of them have urged their colleagues to switch over to other programs.
Streamers like REVERSAL have gone on to ostracize Streamlabs on Twitter. “I swear if Streamlabs is gonna come with that black background white text company apology bulls**t on how they messed up I’m gonna be so done,” he wrote.
Streamer ‘WJacky101’ said “Sucks that OBS had to go public before you guys listened but now, we are here! You say that you take responsibility for your actions – good!”
